Thinking About Quitting Your Ph.D. So Close To The End

You might also like

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 4

What exactly is the most scary part of a Ph.D. according Ph.D.

holders?

A genuine Ph.D. process, in which you produce your original


contributions to the area, is an uphill struggle specific to the
degree and often demands a total makeover of character success.
There’s a good reason why barely half of students cross the
finish line. After you’re done, nobody outside a university will
appreciate your work. They assume you just sat through some
challenging courses.

Only approximately 10% of college graduates get jobs at their


level of education, and most don’t learn this until after many
years as a low-paid postdoc. Taking up this postdoc frequently
means relocating everything you know and leaving behind
friends and family. A Ph.D. is, at best, a dubious financial option
due to the years of pay wasted by not capitalizing on your
master’s degree and the poor possibility of academic
employment.

These facts are supposed to be a riddle, ensuring that only those


needing a doctorate get one. A happy life may be achieved in a
variety of ways. Only if you insist on doing your research and
care deeply about the quality of that study is it worthwhile.
Then, getting your doctorate and finding a great advisor will
make an invaluable and ethical contribution to your area.
On the other side, some prospective Ph.D. students believe that
getting a Ph.D. is terrifying since they only hear horror stories.
In addition, many individuals like exaggerating the drama and
grandeur of their own life experiences when, in fact, they were
very average.

A Ph.D. employment is quite similar to a regular job. There is


pressure to complete the task on time, but it is difficult to predict
how long it will take or whether it will be successful since you
are trying something new. Another downside is that it is usually
low-paying and prevents you from graduating with your high
school peers, who are all doing more exciting and adult things
than you are. Some pressure is associated with completing a
Ph.D., primarily as the deadline draws near, but it’s no more or
less stressful than working a demanding job. Moreover, it has
several enticing benefits, such as a great deal of leeway
regarding scheduling, location, etc.

It’s also worth noting that not all Ph.D.s are created equal. The
lack of freedom to think outside the box and the relative safety
of working under such close supervision make such jobs seem
more like the norm than anything else; this is fantastic if you
have excellent ideas but not so great if you don’t have anybody
to bounce them off. Those who are a terrible match for their
advisors—those who need to be told what to do but are given
free rein, or those who thrive on independence but are
restricted—tend to have the worst experiences. If you don’t feel
comfortable with your adviser or school, my recommendation is
to go elsewhere.

In truth, the primary problem here is one of the unrealistic


expectations. Intelligent students often see getting a doctorate as
the next logical step in their careers. They’re both a little starry-
eyed as they join. The students were in awe of their teachers.
People’s expectations of their research achievement are inflated
because of their youth and lack of experience. But they quickly
learn that it’s not easy. Many factors might lead to stress,
including lab rotations, equipment and experiment setup,
courses, exams, university paperwork, TA duties, and financial
insecurity. In addition, students are not taught the skills
necessary to cooperate with others throughout a project
effectively. As a Ph.D. student, you will be required to
collaborate with your advisor, principal investigator, co-
investigator, lab mates, and students from different labs for a
long time in an atmosphere of high uncertainty. Since there has
never been any instruction on this, it often causes a lot of
frustration among the pupils. Career prospects are unclear due to
a shortage of available teaching opportunities. Academically
gifted children also have trouble being content and “flowing
with the flow” because they set impossible standards for
themselves.
Worse, young Ph.D. aspirants are exposed to the toxic social
media environment. They see photographs of their peers getting
married, having babies, or advancing their careers. As a result,
they have terrifying stories to tell.

You might also like